COLUMBUS, Ga. - Georgia allows a candidate to request a recount when the margin is 0.5% or less, and the request must be made within two business days of the results being certified, according to Georgia.gov. State law does not require an automatic recount, and an electronic recount means running the ballots through scanners again rather than counting every ballot by hand. In Columbus, the Board of Elections is scheduled to meet Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, at 2 p.m., with certification of the Nov. 3 general election set to follow at 3 p.m.

A recount is separate from Georgia's post-election audit. State Election Board rules call for each county to take part in a risk-limiting audit after November general elections in even-numbered years, before the Secretary of State certifies. This explainer describes the rules only and applies no matter how any race turns out.

When can a candidate request a recount?

Georgia.gov says a candidate can request a recount if the margin is less than or equal to 0.5%. It says that threshold is based on Georgia H.B. 316, from 2019. The threshold includes a margin of exactly 0.5% as well as smaller margins.

Georgia.gov also says state law does not require an automatic recount of votes. That means meeting the margin and getting a recount are separate things. Under the page's explanation, the candidate has to make a request.

What is the two-business-day deadline?

According to Georgia.gov, the request has to be made within two business days of the results being certified. The clock starts at certification, not on the day ballots are cast. Certification therefore matters for official results and for the start of the request window.

For Columbus, the City of Columbus Elections page lists certification of the Nov. 3 general election at 3 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9, following a 2 p.m. Board of Elections meeting. Those are the times the city published. The sources reviewed do not say whether Veterans Day, Nov. 11, counts as a business day for this purpose, so this story does not give a calendar deadline.

Anyone with a question about the deadline can call 1-800-GEORGIA (1-800-436-7442), the number Georgia.gov lists. The page does not describe the recount procedure or its cost. Readers should confirm any date with election officials.

Can officials request a recount for another reason?

Yes. Georgia.gov names two other routes, both tied to a suspected error or discrepancy in the returns. An election official may ask for a recount when there is "a suspected error or discrepancy in the returns." The Secretary of State may request one when a federal or state candidate petitions about a suspected error or discrepancy.

The page gives no deadline for those routes. The two-business-day window described above applies to the candidate request under the 0.5% rule. It should not be read as the deadline for the other routes.

How are ballots counted again in an electronic recount?

State Election Board Rule 183-1-15-.03 sets the basic procedure. It says, "The recount shall be conducted by tabulating all ballots utilizing ballot scanners." In plain terms, the ballots go through scanning equipment again.

The rule also requires a check of the equipment first. Each scanner is tested against a test deck that has been counted by hand. If a scanner's results cannot be reconciled with the hand count, that scanner may not be used.

A manual hand count is done only when a specific provision of the rule applies or a court orders it. An electronic recount is therefore not the same thing as a hand count of every ballot. The rule leaves hand counting to those narrow cases.

What is Georgia's risk-limiting audit?

Rule 183-1-15-.04 requires a separate review. After November general elections in even-numbered years, each county must take part in a statewide risk-limiting audit with a risk limit of not greater than 10 percent. The audit happens before Secretary of State certification.

The Secretary of State selects the contest to be audited. The audit ends once all selected ballots are counted and the risk limit is met. Before county certification, each county election superintendent prepares a ballot manifest.

An audit does not depend on any candidate meeting the recount margin. It is a statewide requirement that applies to counties under the rule. The sources reviewed do not give audit dates, so none are listed here.

How does an audit differ from a recount?

The two start differently. A recount is requested by a candidate under the 0.5% rule or sought because of a suspected error or discrepancy. The audit is a requirement that applies after November general elections in even-numbered years.

They also work differently. An electronic recount tabulates all ballots with scanners, subject to the testing and hand-count provisions. The audit uses a contest chosen by the Secretary of State, a risk limit and conditions for finishing.

They relate to certification differently as well. A candidate's recount request must come within two business days after certification, according to Georgia.gov. The audit must happen before the Secretary of State certifies, under the state rule.

What is happening in Muscogee County on Nov. 9?

The City of Columbus Elections page lists the next Board of Elections meeting for Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, at 2 p.m. Certification of the Nov. 3 general election is to follow at 3 p.m. Counts remain unofficial until they are certified.

The page lists the office at the City Services Center, 3111 Citizens Way. It names UD Roberts as board chair and Linda Parker as vice chair. It also says absentee ballot tabulation started at 10 a.m. Nov. 3 and was open to the public.

What to know

• Recount threshold: A candidate may request a recount if the margin is 0.5% or less.
• Request window: Within two business days of certification.
• Automatic recount: Georgia law does not require one.
• Electronic recount: Ballots are tabulated again on scanners that have been tested against a hand-counted test deck.
• Audit: Counties take part in a statewide risk-limiting audit with a risk limit of not greater than 10 percent.
• Local schedule: Board of Elections meeting Nov. 9 at 2 p.m., certification to follow at 3 p.m.
• Questions: 1-800-GEORGIA (1-800-436-7442)